hold you when you're not enough
by mazberrypie
Summary: "I know I'm probably never going to convince you completely, but you are good enough." Marinette gave him a gentle smile. "You're good enough for your friends and teachers. And you're good enough for me." In which Adrien is angsty and insecure and Marinette just wants her boyfriend to see how wonderful he is. Featuring, dumb jokes.


Marinette sat at her chaise, feet tucked under her as she flipped through a sketchbook. She felt a sort of itching to start a project, but none of her ideas were sticking out to her. It didn't help that everyone's birthdays had already passed or were long off, so there wasn't any occasion to get the creative juice flowing. It was frustrating, to say the least, especially because she _wanted_ to do something.

With a long sigh, Marinette tossed the sketchbook down next to her, stretching out her numb legs. She turned her face to the window, humming happily as her eyes slipped shut and she soaked in the warmth of the sun. Summer was one of her favorite times of year, with the long, empty days and sunshine. Maybe it was the Ladybug in her that got excited as the flowers were blooming and the world was warm and slow.

A sudden tap at her window shook her from her reverie, and Marinette blinked open her eyes to see Chat clinging to the side of her house. He gave her a small smile, not quite as strong as the smirks he usually gave, and knocked again. Marinette pointed up to the roof, and the trapdoor, Chat nodding and hopping up out of sight. Stretching up out of the chaise, Marinette climbed the stairs to her lofted bed and open up the trapdoor.

Chat fell down face first, his transformation giving out mid fall, and Adrien landed on her bed with a faint groan.

"Long day?" She asked, chuckling lightly.

Adrien mumbled something into the covers and made grabby motions towards her.

Huffing a breath through her nose, Marinette settled on to bed next to him. He immediately snuggled up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his head into her stomach. Marinette's hands came up to run through his hair, Adrien had stopped putting quite so much product in it while in civilian form so it wasn't as difficult as it might have been once. His pleased rumble was all she needed to know she'd be trapped underneath her boyfriend for a while, and Marinette settled herself against the pillows.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Marinette tried again, probing gently. It was getting easier to read his moods outside of the suit, but she still had a hard time figuring out what was going on in Adrien's head sometimes.

Marinette could feel him breathe out, breath hot against her stomach, and he curled a little tighter around her.

 _That's a 'no', then._ Marinette continued to pet his hair, only pausing to adjust a pillow behind her back.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, and Marinette was struck with how different this was from the early days. Back when they had both just figured out who the other was, things had been much more...complicated. Marinette had spent a long time trying to take the images of Adrien and Chat she had in her mind and combine them into one person. Adrien seemed to have had difficulties being both those people, and taking down his walls when he wasn't the dashing (if not a bit ridiculous) Chat Noir.

Marinette was once again shaken from her thoughts when Adrien's hand crept up to grab her own. He didn't hold it, instead playing idly with her fingers. Marinette could see his green eyes staring out from under his mop of hair, no longer completely buried in her stomach. They were fixed on their joined hands. She let him fidget with her hand, watching as his long, knuckle-y fingers engulfed her smaller, fine ones.

"Did I distract you from your work?" Adrien's voice was muffled in her shirt.

She let out a little sigh. "No. I was having a hard time figuring out a project to start when you showed up."

He hummed, and the buzz against her stomach tickled a little. Adrien peeked up at her, smiling slightly at her quiet giggles. His eyes were tender, something that would have turned Marinette into a stuttering mess only months ago but now was returned with equal fondness. Turning his head down, he hummed more fully against her belly and she laughed harder, gently whacking his shoulder.

"Stop that, you crazy cat." She said sternly, only half serious.

Propping his chin up on her, Adrien looked up at her face, expression extremely self satisfied. With the hand still on his head, Marinette ruffled his hair, giggling again as he tilted his head to be cradled by her hand. He really was like a cat sometimes.

As the playful mood dissipated, Marinette was left with a still slightly mopey boyfriend. Though she didn't ask again, the look she gave him made it pretty clear that he wasn't going to get away with not talking about what was bothering him. Rolling his head to the side, Adrien heaved a sigh, and went back to watching their fingers tangle together.

"Father was angry with me because I've been missing so many shoots lately." Adrien mumbled.

Marinette found herself frowning. "Did you tell him you've been missing them because you're trying to get into that Physics program at the university?"

 _And because you've been stopping Papillion from destroying Paris?_ That part didn't need to be said.

"He doesn't think that this 'physics thing will last'." The way Adrien said it made it clear it was a direct quote. "Like I'm going to wake up and realize that I want to be a model for the rest of my life, or something."

Marinette's frown deepened. "Well that's dumb."

"Yeah..." Adrien voice was still off, eyes still fixed on their hands.

"Hey now," Marinette pushed at his shoulder so he'd look up at her, "are you starting to second guess yourself?"

"It's just..." He trailed off, seemingly gathering his thoughts, "what if he's right? What if I can't do it, and I'm always just a model?"

Though he didn't say it, Marinette knew that it also translated as ' _What if I'm not good enough?_ '

"That ridiculous. You're already not 'just a model'."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "I mean outside of Chat Noir."

"That too!" Marinette defended, flapping a hand. "Without all that, you're still amazing!"

Adrien didn't look like he was buying it and Marinette huffed.

"Look, even without being a model and a hero, there's a person there. You're smart, and incredibly kind and loyal to your friends. You're great in an emergency-" Marinette held up a finger when he was about to interrupt. "-even without the suit. If you hadn't gotten us off that bench, The Gamer would have turned us into level points and there would be no more Chat Noir and Ladybug. And no more Adrien and Marinette, for that matter."

"Okay..." He still sounded hesitant.

Marinette waved her hands around more violently, slightly exasperated. How could Adrien, sweet and goofy and _loveable_ Adrien, not see what an incredible person he was?

"You're kind of a goofball, but in an extremely adorable way." Marinette assured when his brow furrowed. "And you're passionate! I've never seen someone throw themselves into things the way you do, whether it be your job or just homework. You always give one hundred and ten percent."

Adrien was faintly pink and Marinette took that as a good sign.

"You don't have to be _Adrien Agreste_ to be Adrien." Marinette told him, and though it wasn't the clearest of thoughts, Adrien seemed to understand.

"Alright." And this time it was a little firmer, though Marinette could see him still doubting, still wondering.

"I know I'm probably never going to convince you completely, but you _are_ good enough." Marinette gave him a gentle smile. "You're good enough for your friends and teachers. And you're good enough for me."

That's what seemed to tip him over, because Adrien's eyes went misty and he surged up to bury his head in the junction of her neck and shoulder. Marinette pulled him into a tight hug, rubbing his back and let him breathe against her for a moment, before he pulled back.

"Thank you, Buginette."

Marinette huffed a laugh. "You're welcome, _ma petit minou_."

They turned over to their sides, still largely wrapped around each other. After a few beats of silence, Marinette felt Adrien shaking and she pulled back in alarm. Surely he wasn't upset enough to start crying?

"Adrien, are you okay?" She held his shoulders and stared into his eyes, surprised to see not full of tears, but mirth.

"I'm sorry...it's just," He laughed, struggling to get out the words. "I just realized what a perfect nickname Buginette is."

Marinette's brow furrowed in confusion and Adrien laughed harder.

"You're Lady _bug_...and Mari _nette_...so _Buginette!"_ He was practically guffawing and couldn't clearly say what he meant and it took Marinette a moment to piece together what he was implying.

 _ **Bug-inette.**_ _Of course._

"I take back everything nice I said, you're terrible." Marinette pushed at his face as he curled closer, laughing in her ears.

Adrien caught her hand, holding it to his cheek, and slowly calmed down. Marinette felt fondness surge through her as he turned his head and placed a kiss on her palms, his eyes still crinkling with joy. Using the hand on his cheek, she pulled him down and dropping her own kiss on his forehead. When she pulled away, Adrien looked a little starstruck and Marinette felt herself blush. That was something she would never get tired of seeing, Adrien staring at her like she'd put the moon in the sky.

"You dork." She chastised him gently, pulling him back into a hug.

He settled against her with a happy sigh, curling his arms around her and dropping his head back onto her shoulder. Marinette listened as his breathing got deeper and slower, and with a yawn, closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

 **AN: I WROTE THIS ENTIRE THING TO MAKE THE BUGINETTE JOKE. EDIT: Fic title from the song 'I Do' by Susie Suh!**


End file.
